Multiple Carrier Mobile Money services are involved in Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania & Uganda with enabling off-grid solar energy to be provided to those without access to traditional on-grid energy infrastructure.

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News on Emerging Sectors of Carrier Commerce that help Financial Inclusion

Carrier mBanking Services

Successful in Japan for 8 years, underway in Poland and now coming to France in 2017, this quiet sector of Carrier Commerce shows a growing trend for Carriers seizing opportunity to expand into banking services.

India is pioneering allowing non-traditional financial institutions to utilize technologies and alternative distribution ideas to help financially include a significant portion of the population that remains on the sidelines of the financial services.

In late August 2015 the RBI (Reserve Bank of India) approved 11 companies to offer Payments Banks. Of the 11 total, 8 are continuing with the Payments Bank plans with 4 of those 5 being Telco/ Carriers. Aim is to provide basic deposit and withdrawal functionality up to ~$1,500 value USD for the unbanked (of the ~2B unbanked globally, ~20% are in India).

Carriers are getting involved in a variety of models to offer financial services to the financially included

New Zealand, Thailand, Uganda and elsewhere - various forms of transportation related commerce is emerging thanks to Carriers.

Carrier JV Semble has begun with integration into public transport services, AIS is enabling transportation & shopping, while MTN Mobile Money has opened up the ability to pay for fuel. ​

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Carrier Education Commerce

In Kenya, Safaricom has registered 4,500 schools on its Lipa Karo na M-Pesa service to simplify paying school fees.

In Ghana and Rwanda, MTN is offering a school fees payment service. Both provide convenience to parents.

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Carrier Crowd Funding

The mobile crowdfunding platform, Orange Collecte, which is open to all Orange Money customers in Cote d’Ivoire, will enable individuals and charity organizations to raise funds for personal and charitable projects by making an appeal through their mobile network.

Carrier Internet Banking

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Web banks in South Korea will "inject healthy competition in the local financial market and improve the financial industry,” Yim Jong Yong, chairman of FSC, said in a statement announcing the approval. Korea’s government is offering the online-banking permits in a bid to drive innovation and deregulation in a sector that’s crucial for financing the country’s economic expansion. Online-only banks will be able to offer a wider range of customer services from existing commercial banks and offer easier access to credit for start-ups and small businesses, the statement said. This development of web-based financial services has potential for other markets trying to advance financial inclusion.

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Carrier Virtual Mall Commerce

Etisalat’s Virtual Mall is a end-to-end consumer experience, combining elements of mobile, online, and brick-and-mortar channels. The Mall displays lifelike representations of products through interactive video walls, digital kiosks, and mobile applications. The interactive display contains a guide to each product, which can then be bought over the counter, or delivered later. The Mall can contain groceries, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, fashion and utilities all in one physical location, allowing customers to use one shopping cart and one check-out for all their needs, without repeatedly entering their delivery address, shopping preferences or other personal information.

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Carrier Utility Payment Commerce

Carrier Uganda Telecom introduced the ability to pay water utility bills back in 2011 while in 2016 Vodafone announced the ability to pay electric utility bills via M-Pesa in India.

Industry Knowledge Community Committed to having Ongoing Impact on Carrier Commerce and thus Financial Inclusion

Carrier Healthcare Commerce

Safaricom launches transformative partnership to promote healthcare inclusion in Kenya​. Safaricom has partnered with PharmAccess Foundation and CarePay to introduce a new health payment platform that will deepen the ability of citizens to access healthcare.

Carrier Micro Insurance

Telenor (India) said that it has become the largest 'single' micro insurance policy provider in the country. Telenor has made this product available through its mass market distribution at different point of sales -- 2000 company stores, self-help service and at its call centres. ​ Over 17 million customers of the Norway-based telco's unit have enrolled them- selves, while ~7.8 million customers have been insured

Carrier Licensed by Financial Regulator

The CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) approved 2 Telco-Carriers to be 'Super Agents' (similar to carriers approved to be Payments Banks in India by RBI (Reserve Bank of India). Basically these carriers are now permitted to offer basic deposit and withdrawal financial services.​Nigerians are benefiting from their reserve bank leadership which is demonstrating visionary and openness to allowing innovative financial solutions to help advance financial inclusion. (SEE MORE Carrier Licensed by Financial Regulator [in India] further below)

While Mobile Wallets are generally viewed as a higher end offering (thus not as applicable to helping to advance financial inclusion), these successes with Carrier Mobile Wallets demonstrate Carriers can also add value to proximity payments ... and eventually could be helpful as financially included communities progress upwards in levels of financial sophistication.

Carrier eMoney

A ​means to permit Direct Carrier Billing of physical goods in certain nations where regulatory requirements necessitate having a eMoney license to be involved in this type transaction. (Until standards are agreed upon, expect differences in definitions of "e-Money" between different regions of the world.)

In Hungary, E2 Hungary Zrt, a joint venture utility company founded by MET Holding AG and Magyar Telekom Nyrt (a Deutsche Telekom company) . The 50-50 joint venture utility company will supply natural gas and electricity to more than 4,000 business customers in Hungary.

Carrier Transportation Commerce

​ ​Carrier Mobile Wallets (Proximity Payments)

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In 2Q2015 were back-to-back Carrier JV mobile wallet closings (Softcard [formally ISIS] in the USA and Weve in the UK).While these two setbacks received a majority of the media attention, plus even were interpreted by some as proof that Carriers cannot successfully operate Commerce related solutions, not only do the vast array of Carrier Commerce sectors completely disprove that false narrative, but even Carrier JVs in Mobile Wallets and Mobile Payments (also referred to as 'Proximity Payments') are achieving traction in markets globally.